Degreaser



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l. L. LANS DEGREASER lll-ll Dec. 23, 1958 Filed March 24, 1955 States Patent DEGREASER Irwin L. Lans, Nutley, N. J., assigner to Metalwash lll/{achinery Company, Elizabeth, N. J., a co-partners 1p Application March 24, 1955, Serial No. 496,375

8 Claims. (Cl. 51-164) This invention relates to a degreaser apparatus and more particularly to a degreaser having a` rotatable basket carrying device.

Ordinary degreasers cleanse objects by passing them through cleansing solvent which is in liquid and/ or vapor form. Customarily, in these degreasers, the only agitating action affecting the objects is caused either by the fluid passing around the stationary objects or by outmoded manual movement of the objects themselves.

In addition, objects often contain irregular surfaces having crevices land niches; because of such surfaces, these objects may be indeed hard to clean. Although degreasing fluids pass over these irregular surfaces during the degreasing operation, the cleansing mechanism is limited to soaking and dissolving since the objects remain substantially stationary during the degreasing.

Without constant agitation ofthe objects being deg-reased,

little chance is afforded for the fluid which remains in these crevices and niches to carry away dissolved grease and grime. The cleansing action cannot be fully per# formed, therefore, since clean fluid cannot advantageously replace fluid which lies in these crevices containing dissolved grease. The efficiency of degreasers heretofore employed is, in this respect, restricted.

The degreaser of the present invention, however, is a vast improvement over ordinary degreasers. The present invention permits'the basket carrier to rotate constantly about its transverse axis permitting more complete mechanical agitation ofV the articles by tumbling action, more complete Contact between the articles to be de` greased and the cleansing fluids, and greater exchange of clean fluids for iiuids containing dissolved grease and grime.

' Accordingly, an object of this invention is to provide a degreaser having a rotatable basket carrying device into which a basket containingarticles to be degreased mayV be conveniently placed so that greater agitation and clean# ing action will result. l

Another object of this invention is to provide such` a degreaser with guiding members and rotating members suitable for controlling the continuous rotation of th'e" basket carrying device during each degreasing cycle.

An additional yobject of this invention is to provide driving means for causingthe basket carrying device to rotate while passing through its degreasing cycle at any predetermined preferred rate.

A further object of this invention is to provide a def-l graser` apparatus which is economical to manufacture, easy vto use, yet efficient, sturdy and durable in performance. Y j j Additional objects of this invention will be apparent` from the description which follows and the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure l is a front View of the degreaser including the rotary basket carrying device in the load-unload position, and a lbreak-away portion showing the cleaninguid in the degreasing chamber.

Figure 2 is a side view of the degreaser illustrating the manner in which the carrier basket is rotated.

Figure 3 is a partial perspective view of the top portion of the degreaser embodying the rotary basket carrying device in arrangement with the guiding and actuating members. j

Figure 4 is a top view of one of the guiding assemblies.

Figure 5 is a side view of the rack and pinion arrangement.

Figure 6 is a vertical transverse section of the basket carrying device as taken on line 6-6 in Figure 3; and

Figure 7 is another embodiment of the invention showing a star wheel in arrangement with a ladder structure in lieu of a pinion and rack arrangement.

This invention as illustrated by the drawings comprises a degreaser 10 including an upright rectangular cleansing chamber 11 and a side boiler tank 12 juxtaposed the lower portion lof one side wall of chamber 11, as shown in Figure l. An external condenser jacket 13 extends around the four sides of degreaser 10 below the top edge of chamber 11, condenser jacket 13 being provided with suitable connections to a source of cooling water, not shown. y

A cleansing solvent 14, disposed within chamber 11 and side boiler tank 12, is heated by any conventional means, such as, for example, by a steam pipe 59 connected to an external boiler, not shown. `Solvent vapors circulate in zone 15 above the level of solvent 14 in chamber 11. Escaping vapors which ow upwardly are condensed upon reaching jacket 13 by the cooling water flowing therethrough. Condensed vapors return to boiler side tank 12 for recycling by means not shown.

Upright angle structures 16 and 17, secured by suitable means to the extended rear corners at the top of chamber 11, project above degreaser 1d. Rectangular panel face 18 is situated between angle structures 16 and 17 and secured thereto and to the extended rear portion of degreaser 10 by welding -or other suitable means. An addi` tional panel member 19, having integral side extensions 20 and 21 disposed at right angles to the vertical edges of panel member 19, is attached to and extends above the top portion of chamber 11. Side extensions Ztl'and 21 engage along their vertical edges with angle structures 16 and 17, and are connected therewith by conventional means, so as to form a rectangular box-like support extending above the back half portion of chamber 11.

Hydraulic cylinder 22 is vertically positioned on panel member 19 by lug seats 23 and 24. Double action piston 25, slidably disposed within hydraulic cylinder 22, is reversibly displaced upwardly and downwardly by means of hydraulic fluid passing at 60 above, or at 61 below, piston 25 through conventional automatic alternate flow valve apparatus, not shown, or by other suitable means.

Parallel angle bars 26 and 27 of equal length are vertically and centrally positioned against the inside face of one lateral wall of chamber 11, the arrangement of angle bars 26 and 27 forming thereby an internal groove 28 throughout their length. Similarlyl situated on the inside face of the other lateralrwall of chamber 11 are parallel angle bars 29 and 30, likewiseforming an internal groove 31 throughout their equal length.

Rotary carrier basket 32 is hollow and, box-like in form, constructed of expanded( metal, and has a hinged door 33 provided with Vsuitable locking means 34.k Articles to be degreased contained in a smaller basket 35, may be inserted into basket 32 at hinged door 33. Shaft elements 36 and 37, secured to lateral faces 38 and 39 respectively, of carrier basket 32, extend outwardly therefrom in a transverse direction terminating within internal grooves i 28 and 31, respectively. GuideA wheel `4t) is mounted ori'the end of shaft element 36 within internal groove 28, and guide wheel 41 is mounted on the end shaft element 37 within internal groove 31.

`Cylinder hanger 42, linkably connected to piston rod 43 of double action piston 2S by suitable means -at 44, includes frame arms 45 and 46 and lateral extensions 47 and 48 having looped end portions 49 and 5t) which rotatably support shaft elements 36 and 357.k Looped end portions 49 and 50 are loosely kept in place by means of collars 51, 52, 53 and 54, respectively, substantially as shown in Figure 1.

Rack 55 is vertically positioned within chamber Il behind shaft element 36 and between guide wheel 40 and collar 51. Pinion 56, tixedly mounted about shaft element 36 between guide wheel 40 and collar 51, at a corresponding position to that of rack 55, is in rotatable engagement with rack 55 along its vertical distance.

Similarly, rack 57, parallel to rack 55, is positioned behind shaft element 37, and between guide wheel 41 and collar 54. Pinion 58, iixedly mounted about shaft ele- -ment 37 between guide wheel 41 and collar 54 at a corresponding position to that of rack 57, is similarly in rotatable engagement with rack 57 along its vertical distance.

Consequently, for degreaser operation, suitable means are initiated for hydraulic activation, causing double action piston to be displaced upwardly or downwardly throughout the length of hydraulic cylinder 22.

Correspondingly, shaft elements 36 and 37, by means of the above-described connections with piston 25, may be moved upwardly or downwardly, causing guide wheels and 41 to roll between angle bars 26 and 27, and 29 and 30, respectively.

Pinions 56 and 58 engage racks 55 and 57, substantially as shown in Figures 1 and 2 so that as upward or downward movement of piston 25 causes the pinions 56 and 58 to be rotated against racks 55 and 57, respectively, carrier basket 32 is similarly rotated about its transverse axis. The rotation is continuous during both the upward and downward travel of carrier basket 32 within degreaser 10.

Articles being degreased are, in this way, completely agitated by tumbling in their container, allowing a more efficient cleaning operation. The period of time for the degreasing cycle, of course, may be adjusted to t the requirements of the particular articles to be degreased.

Another embodiment of the present invention, substantially as shown in Figure 6, includes star wheel 56 in place of pinion 56. Accordingly, rack is replaced by ladder structure 55', more suitable for movable engagement with star wheel 56. Pinion 58 and rack 57 may likewise be replaced by star wheel S and ladder structure 57 which are similar to star wheel 56 and ladder structure 55. i

I have described what I believe to be the best embodiments of my invention. I do not wish, however, to be confined to the embodiments shown, but what I desire to cover by Letters Patent is set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. Apparatus including a tank, a carrier basket, guide means for guiding the carrier basket along a straight vertical path of movement, means for causing vertical displacement of said carrier basket within said tank, and means for causing ro-tation of said carrier basket about its transverse axis simultaneous with said vertical displacement, while said carrier basket travels along a vertical guided path. t Y

2. Apparatus including a tank, a displaceable carrier basket rotatable about its transverse axis, means for limiting the movement of the carrier basket exclusively to vertical straight up and down movement in addition to its rotation about its transverse axis, means for displacing said carrier basket upwardly and downwardly within said tank and means for causing simultaneous rotation of said '4 carrier basket during its upward and downward displacement within said tank.

3. Apparatus including la tank, a displaceable carrier i basket rotatable about its transverse axis, displacing means for displacing the carrier basket upwardly and downwardly within the tank comprising an hydraulic cylinder mounted above said tank, an hydraulic piston within said hydraulic cylinder, means for displacing said hydraulic piston, means for causing simultaneous rotation of said carrier basket during its upward and downward displacement within said tank, and a cradle brace linkably connected to said hydraulic piston and terminating in arms secured to said carrier basket for simultaneous displacement of said carrier basket as said piston is displaced.

4. A device as in claim 3 wherein said rotation means comprise at least one shaft element mounted on each lateral face of said carrier basket, at least one guide wheel mounted on the free end of each shaft element, at least one set of parallel guide structures vertically positioned on the inner face of each lateral wall of said tank, at least one parallel groove formed in each said set of parallel guide structures, each said guide wheel positioned within each said set of parallel guide structures and in rotatable relation therewith along said parallel groove, at least one rack, vertically situated within said tank, on each side of said carrier basket, corresponding pinions mounted on each said shaft element in movable engagement with teeth disposed on said racks, said cradle arms having rotatable connections with said shaft elements, said carrier basket rotating along the distance of said parallel grooves, by means of said engagement between said pinions and said racks during the upward and downward displacement of said carrier basket.

5. A degreaser device including a degreaser chamber, hydraulic means mounted above said chamber, a carrier basket rotatable about its transverse axis, means for activating said hydraulic means for rotating said carrier basket about its transverse axis simultaneous with hydraulic activation, means for guiding the carrier basket along a straight line vertical path while freely allowing rotation of said carrier basket, and means for displacing said carrier basket upwardly and downwardly along said straight line vertical path in unison with the carrier basket rotation and the hydraulic activation.

6. A degreaser device including a degreasing chamber, hydraulic means mounted above said chamber, a carrier basket rotatable about its transverse axis and having means for containing articles to be degreased therewithin, means for activating said hydraulic means, means for rotating said carrier basket about its transverse axis contingent upon upward and downward displacement of the carrier basket including stationary rack means and corresponding pinion means associated with said carrier basket meshing with said rack means, and means operated by said hydraulic means for simultaneously displacing said carrier basket upwardly and downwardly in accord with said hydraulic means activation.

7. In a degreaser device, a degreaser chamber having an open top, a rear support mounted on the back portion of said chamber and extending thereabove, hydraulic means mounted -on said rear support, a carrier basket, rotatable about its transverse axis, and having means for securing therewithin a container holding articles to be degreased, a shaft element attached to each lateral portion of said carrier basket along the transverse axis of rotation of said carrier basket, parallel guide structures, having a parallel groove therewithin, vertically positioned -on the interior face of each lateral wall of said degreaser chamber and passing through the intersection of said transverse axis of rotation with each lateral wall, a guide wheel mounted on the free end of each said shaft element and rotatably positioned within said guide structures on each lateral wall and along said parallel grooves, pinions mounted on said shaft elements, parallel racks vertically positioned within said degreaser chamber and in dem...

rotatable engagement along their lengths with said pinions, at least two collars mounted on each shaft element between said pinions and said carrier basket, means for securing said hydraulic means to said shaft elements including means for a rotatable connection with each shaft element between said collars mounted thereon, and means for activating said hydraulic means so as to rotate said carrier basket throughout its upward and downward travel along said parallel grooves and along the teeth of said racks, thus permitting articles contained in said carrier basket to be lowered into said degreaser uids for degreasng.

8. A degreaser having a rectangular chamber with an opening at the top thereof, a boiler chamber attached to one wall of said rectangular chamber, an opening in said wall between said rectangular chamber and said boiler chamber, heating means disposed in said boiler chamber for heating a degreasing solvent disposed within said chambers, condensing means disposed on said rectangular chamber for reclaiming vapors of said heated solvent, a rear support mounted on the upper back portion of said rectangular chamber, hydraulic means mounted on said rear support, a carrier basket, rotatable about its transverse axis, having provision for inserting therein a container holding articles to be degreased, a hinged door covering the front side of said carrier basket, locking means for securing said hinged door, shaft elements situated on the lateral faces of said carrier basket along the transverse axis of rotation of said carrier basket, more than one parallel guide angle element forming a groove 6 therebetween, vertically positioned on the interior face of each lateral wall of said rectangular chamber and passing generally through the intersection of the transverse axis of rotation of said carrier basket with each said lateral Wall, a guide wheel mounted on the free end of each said shaft element and rotatably positioned along said grooves within said angle elements, pinions mounted on said shaft elements, parallel racks vertically positioned within said rectangular chamber and in rotatable engagement along their length with said pinions, at least two collars mounted on each shaft element between said pinions and said carrier basket, means for connecting said hydraulic means to said shaft elements including bracket arms having looped portions in the ends thereof for rotatable connection with each shaft element between said collars thereon, and means for activating said hydraulic means for driving said carrier basket rotatably upward and downward along the grooves of said parallel guide angle elements and along said racks, to permit articles contained in said degreaser to be degreased by said heated solvent.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 729,055 Forger May 26, 1903 2,319,391 Davis May 18, 1943 2,329,787 Romano Sept. 21, 1943 2,470,204 Wishon May 17, 1949 2,673,835 Kearney Mar. 30, 1954 

